Epidemology and Diagnosis of Sinusitis

EPIDEMIOLOGY

Epidemiology of Bacterial Sinusitis:

• Viral bacterial sinusitis develops in 90% of patients with a viral upper respiratory tract infection (“cold”).
• Bacterial sinusitis has a seasonal pattern, associated with “cold” epidemics that occur in the autumn, winter, and spring, and are less common during the summer. Typically, rhinoviruses occur in early autumn and late spring, while respiratory syncytial virus, influenza virus, and coronavirus strike in early spring and winter.
• Acute bacterial sinusitis occurs in 0.5% to 2% of individuals with viral infections (colds) (about 20 million Americans yearly).
• The economic impact of rhinosinusitis is considerable.

Establishing a diagnosis may be difficult because differentiation must be made between allergic rhinitis and other causes of head or facial pain, asthma, and dental disorders. An allergic etiology can be confirmed by establishing a history of nasal symptoms and a history of allergy.

Medical history, symptoms, and findings suggestive of allergy

History

Personal

Past episodes of allergy that responded to antihistamines and anti-inflammatory agents

The most predictive clinical signs and symptoms of bacterial sinusitis in adults and children are pressure and pain, thick nasal discharge, fever and cough or irritability. Allergy is associated with itchy, runny nose, thin watery nasal discharge, history of seasonal allergy and other allergic symptoms.

Practical Criteria:

Practical criteria for the diagnosis of bacterial sinusitis are based on either major or minor symptoms, signs, and findings. The major ones are facial pain, congestion, nasal discharge, fever (for acute sinusitis), and purulence. Minor criteria are headache, halitosis, fatigue, dental pain, and cough. The presence of bacterial sinusitis is suspected when at least two major or one major and two minor criteria are found.

Major and minor criteria of bacterial sinusitis*

Major criteria

Minor criteria

Facial pain/pressure (requires a second major criterion to constitute a suggestive history)

Headache

Facial congestion/fullness

Fever (for subacute and chronic sinusitis)

Nasal congestion/obstruction

Halitosis

Nasal discharge/purulence/discoloured postnasal drainage

Fatigue

Hyposmia/anosmia

Dental pain

Fever (for acute sinusitis; requires a second major criterion to constitute a strong history)

Cough

Purulence on intranasal examination

Ear pain/pressure/fullness

*Diagnosis of bacterial sinusitis based on major and minor criteria. Strong history requires the presence of two major criteria or one major and two or more minor criteria. Suggestive history requires the presence of one major criterion or two or more minor criteria.

• The most common presentation in children is a persistent (and unimproved) nasal discharge or cough (or both) lasting longer than 10 days. A 10-day period separates simple viral upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) from bacterial sinusitis because most uncomplicated viral URTIs last between 5 and 7 days—by day 10 most patients are improving.

• The quality of the nasal discharge varies, and it can be thin or thick, clear mucoid, or purulent.
• Although children cough during the day, this is generally worse at night.

Enclosed are the symptoms that differentiate bacterial sinusitis from allergy:

Sinus infection versus allergy

Infection

Allergy

Nasal obstruction and/or congestion

Nasal obstruction and/or congestion

Pressure with pain

Itchy, runny nose

Thick nasal discharge

Paroxysmal sneezing

Toothache

Thin, watery nasal discharge

Fever

History of sinusitis during allergy season

Cough or irritability

Other allergic signs or symptoms

The symptoms and signs of acute bacterial sinusitis can be divided into non-severe ( rhinorrhea, cough, headache, facial pain. and low grade fever) and severe forms (Purulence, periorbital edema, and high fever). The severe form carries a higher risk of complications and mandates earlier use of antimicrobial therapy. The combination of high fever and purulent nasal discharge lasting for at least 3 to 4 days points to a bacterial infection of the sinuses.

Symptoms and signs of bacterial sinusitis

Non-severe acute sinusitis

Severe acute sinusitis

Rhinorrhea (of any quality)

Purulent (thick, colored, opaque) rhinorrhea

Nasal congestion

Nasal congestion

Cough

Facial pain or headache

Headache, facial pain, and irritability (variable)

Periorbital edema (variable)

Low-grade or no fever

High fever (temperature ³ 39°C)

In children with subacute or chronic bacterial sinusitis the symptoms are protracted. Fever is rare, the cough and nasal congestion persist, and a sore throat (as a result of mouth breathing) is common.
The location of the facial pain can point to which of the sinuses is involved. Maxillary bacterial sinusitis is often associated with pain in the cheeks, frontal with the forehead, ethmoid with medial canthus, and sphenoid with occipital pain. Other suggestive factors are action or position that makes the sinus worse or better, and clues that suggest the presence of chronic infection.

Signs of Sinus Infection That Can Be Observed by Physical Examination:

• Mucopurulent nasal or posterior pharyngeal discharge.
• Erythematous nasal mucosa that may be pale and boggy.
• Signs of infection in the throat that can be associated with malodorous breath.
• Acute otitis media can be present in association with acute bacterial sinusitis, and otitis media with effusion with chronic bacterial sinusitis.
• Cervical lymphadenitis may be present but rare.
• Facial tenderness is inconsistent and nonspecific.
• Periorbital edema with skin discoloration can be present, especially in children with ethmoid sinusitis.
• Disease in the upper molar teeth may be the source of maxillary sinusitis.
Further work-up and consideration for hospitalization include suspicion of nosocomial sinusitis (recent intubation, feeding or suction device), patients who are immunocompromised, possible meningitis or other intracranial complications, or frontal or sphenoid sinusitis.

Clues for the sinuses involved can be ascertained from the location of the pain and tenderness:

1. A complete head and neck examination (including the orbit, extra­ ocular motility, the response of the pupils, vision, and cranial nerve function)
2.Palpation and/or percussion (over the frontal sinuses, cheeks [maxillary sinuses], and medial orbit [ethmoid sinuses])
3. Bending the head forward (when sitting) and holding it at knee level for 45–60 s; this can elicit a sensation of fullness and pain at the involved sites
4. Assessment of nasopharynx for postnasal drip and obstruction caused by adenoid hypertrophy, choanal atresia, malignancy, polyps, and septal deviation
5. Nose examination, especially in chronic infection; anterior rhinoscopy is performed with a good light source after application of a topical decongestant; the presence of edema, erythema, crusting, or purulent secretion should be noted
6. Endoscopy may localize the pus within the nasal cavity and direct the examiner to the involved sinus(es); bacterial cultures can also be obtain; however, the specimens obtained may contain nasal mucosal flora.

DIAGNOSITIC TESTS

These include transillumination, mucociliary clearance testing, sinus aspiration, and rhinomanometry.

Transillumination

Transillumination is infrequently utilized because the findings do not always correlate with the disorder. The poor reproducibility between observers limits the use of this method.

Guidelines for performing transillumination

• Use a completely dark room, after the examiner’s eyes have adapted to darkness.

• Place a strong source of light (preferably a transilluminator) over the suspected sinus to see whether light can be transmitted.

• Examine the maxillary sinus by shining light through the sinus from the infraorbital area and observe its transmission through the hard plate.

• Test the frontal sinus by shining the light superiorly through the supraorbital ridge and observe transmission through the forehead; the bilateral symmetry of the flash needs to be evaluated.

Transillumination of the maxillary sinus

Sinus Aspiration and Endoscopy:

The indications for maxillary sinus aspiration are failure to improve on antimicrobial therapy, severe facial pain, orbital or intracranial complications, and in the immunocompromised host. Aspiration of the sinus for culture is the method of choice for determining the microbiology. Culture of nasal pus or of sinus exudate obtained by rinsing through the sinus ostium can give unreliable information because of contamination by the resident bacterial nasal flora. Collection of specimen for culture could also be attempted by using endoscopy, but there is the risk of contamination by nasal flora.

About Me

Dr. Itzhak Brook is a physician who specializes in pediatrics and infectious diseases.
He is a Professor of Pediatrics at Georgetown University Washington D.C. and his areas of expertise are anaerobic and head and neck infections including sinusitis. He has done extensive research on respiratory tract infections and infections following exposure to ionizing radiation. Dr. Brook served in the US Navy for 27 years. He is the author of six medical textbooks, 155 medical book chapters and many scientific publications. He is an editor of four and associate editor of four medical journals. He is a board member of the Head and Neck Cancer Alliance. Dr. Brook is the recipient of the 2012 J. Conley Medical Ethics Lectureship Award by the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.
Dr. Brook was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2006.

Disclaimer

This blog is not a substitute for medical care by medical professionals. Patients should consult with their personal physicians before making any decisions about their medical and surgical care. Physicians and other providers reading this blog should make independent, informed decisions about the care of their patients based on the individual facts and circumstances of each case.